


The Dragon and the Ghost Magnet

by gingersanps



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dragons, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Other, Rapunzel Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24668209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingersanps/pseuds/gingersanps
Summary: The last thing Aiden expected was a naked female to crash through his tower window (absolutely shattering it). He hadn't expected her to agree to help him around the tower as he healed. And, he certainly didn't expect her to collapse from a poison that had been circulating in her body. Also, what is this thing about dragons? Wait, is she a dragon? This is a story about a boy, locked in his tower because he pulls ghosts and evil spirits toward him, and a dragon as they set out into the world to find the antidote to the poison running through her veins.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

“Quick, she went that way!” came the shouts. “We won’t let her get away. Not again! The dragon will fall!”

I am not my mother, the dragon thought as she hid behind a giant, ancient tree. Why do you not understand this? She gripped her arm as it bled through her fingers. She had to slow the bleeding. In her stressed and hyper aware state, the wound wasn’t healing as fast as she would have liked it to heal. Her head turned as branches snapped. Clouded blue eyes widened as she stared at the hunter in front of her. He stared at her in return.

“I found he ..” 

She caught his call off as she pounced on him as her shape changed. A paw kept him pinned to the ground as she snarled at him. Fire bubbled through her throat as she went to fry him when her maw shut. Her head twisted as she heard more footsteps coming her way. She growled at the hunter as she snapped her jaws close to his face. She watched as he lost consciousness as her wings flared taking off the branches on trees. Groups of people shouted and moaned as the branches began to fall on them as she lifted into the air. Flying took a lot of energy out of her when she had been injured. She glanced at her leg as it was still bleeding. Dark red blood seeped from the wound.

“Heal!” she snarled.

An arrow pierced her neck as it slipped through her scales. She roared in pain as fire burst from her throat as she burned the forest to get away. She clawed at her throat with her claws before the arrow fell free. She watched as the forest burned, guilt appearing on her face, before she turned to fly higher into the sky. She needed to get away from the hunters. She needed to get away from the area. She needed to get away from the townspeople and the hunters. Her wings flapped with a painful beat. Wounds were not healing. Her throat felt hot, and she knew it wasn’t from the fact she had breathed fire. The dragon’s eyes began to close as she felt her consciousness drifting from her.

“No,” she choked. “Stay awake. You’ll fall from the sky.”

Her wings began to beat slower as her grip on reality began to loosen. The dragon tried to keep herself awake by biting her other leg; however, it caused her to bleed more and did nothing on her dwindling state of awareness. She saw a tower drawing closer as she fell from the sky as her wings wrapped around her body. Lightning blue magic crackled around her body as her dragon features began to shrink. Her wings stayed long enough to protect her as she crashed through the window of the tower. A human lay in a sea of broken glass. Blood seeped around her from her wounds. Thunder rumbled in the distance as rain began to pour. Lightning flashed through the sky as green eyes lit up with the flash. Brown boots stepped through the glass as a young man stared at the girl that lay on his floor.

“What the hell?” he asked as he stared at his broken window. “Great, the rain is going to come in.” He glanced at her once again before sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. “Alright. Let’s get you cleaned, bandaged and find you some suitable clothing.”

The response came in the form of her groaning in pain as her naked form curled into a ball to keep warm. She shivered as the cold air blew through the window. He sighed before moving to pick her up before placing her in his bed. A blanket was thrown over her shivering form as he went to find bandages. His fingers found their way to his neck as he scratched it. Questions raced through his mind as he found his medical supplies.

“What just fell through your window, Aiden?” he asked himself as he walked over to the bed. “How’d she break through your window?”

Talking to himself seemed to keep him calm. Aiden talked through a lot of his problems this way considering he didn’t get a lot of visitors to his tower. He dipped a white cloth into a basin of warm water to begin cleaning the vast majority of the young woman’s wounds. She had been bleeding heavy, but a few of the wounds were beginning to clot. Over the course of the night, he changed the water multiple times as he cleaned and dressed her wounds. Aiden wasn’t going to let her die on him. She would probably haunt him in spite if she were to pass on. He didn’t need that in his life. His head hit the bed as the cloth slipped from his hands as sleep caught up with him. He had finished bandaging all her wounds at that point. His eyes opened a bit as he watched her sleep.

“Why are you so heavily injured?” he muttered. “Your village got into a fight?”

Those questions would be the last ones he remembered as he drifted off to sleep in the chair he had been sitting in. His head rested against the edge of the bed as he breathed in and out without much of a sound. It had exhausted him to work as hard as he did to make sure she wouldn’t catch any infections. It was through his questions and statements that his mind seemed to decide the questions were enough, and he fell into a deeper sleep. He hadn’t even noticed the movement on the bed or the slight twitch of her fingers. The young woman began to wake as her eyes opened before they closed in pain. Her body felt terrible. She counted to three before she forced her eyes open. She stared at a stone ceiling before pain radiated through her head. She gnashed her teeth together as she suffered through the pain. She needed to get away before the hunters found her. The dragon groaned as she forced herself to sit up. She paused when her hand had bumped something warm and soft. Blue eyes looked at the thing she touched before she yelped and pulled her hand away. She stared at the blonde haired young man as he slept with his head on the bed. She hadn’t even recognized the bandages around her wounds as she scrambled to get off the bed as she plummeted to the stone floor.

“Ow,” she moaned. “Please tell me that didn’t wake him up.”

“What the hell?”

She felt herself being pulled off the floor before being forced to sit on the bed. The dragon watched as he shoved the bed sheet into her hands.

“Please put that around yourself,” he said to her. “I’ll find you some clothes.”

It was the mention of clothes that she began to be aware of the fact she had been a dragon before crash landing in the tower. Her face turned pink as she wrapped the sheet around her slender frame as she watched him find something for her to wear. Questions surfaced through her mind as she continued to watch him. She shivered as the wind blew through the window. Blue eyes flickered to the area of the tower the wind had blown. She winced as she saw the glass shards on the floor.

“Sorry,” she spoke. “For breaking your window.”

Aiden paused as he heard her words. He muttered a few choice words under his breath as he found some clothes that might fit her. He walked to the bed before dropping the clothes on her lap. She stared at them before staring at him. Aiden scoffed before he went to sweep the glass off the floor.

“Get dressed,” he said. “The clothes might be a bit big.”

“Thank you,” she said after a moment before she got dressed.

Aiden turned to stare at her when he didn’t hear rustling of sheets and clothing. He had found some of his clothes for her. It was definitely a bit big on her. He could see that she was skinny at that point. He frowned a bit as he threw the glass into a tin can as he placed the broom and dustpan away. The young man looked around his tower before he grabbed some leftover food.  
He handed it to her.

“Oh,” she said as she stared at the food. “I’m not hungry.”

“Eat it,” he told her. “It’ll get thrown away otherwise.”

Aiden went back to his chair as he watched her begin to eat the food. She did eat all of it. She placed the dish beside her on the bed as she stared at the floor. The young woman didn’t know what to say to him. She had wanted to escape. She wanted to run to the broken window, jump and transform to her dragon form to escape. She stared at her fingers as the lightning blue magic barely jumped between them. She was weak from the hunters’ attacks. Her fingers split her skin as she formed a fist in frustration. She was nothing at the moment. She couldn’t protect herself. She didn’t have the energy to use magic. The dragon within her growled feeling the same frustration.

“Hey.”

She snapped out of her thoughts as her head snapped straight. She stared at the person who clothed and fed her. Her pupils turned to slits as she stared at him. Staring at him, acknowledging his presence, it made her angry. It drove fury into her gut. He didn’t need to look at her that way. He didn’t need to show worry and pity. He didn’t -- she paused as she saw annoyance flicker through his eyes. She couldn’t hold back the laugh that escaped from her mouth. She watched Aiden frown as she clamped a hand over her mouth to hide the snickers.

“What’s so funny?” he asked as he frowned at her.

“Your annoyance is amusing,” she answered with a bit of truth. “Why help somebody who you seemed annoyed with?”

“Annoyance hardly seems a reason to let you bleed all over my floor,” he said as he snapped his tongue. “I am a bit frustrated you broke my window.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Sorry about that again.”

“It’s a bit frustrating that the rain is getting on my floor.”

“I said sorry.”

Aiden stared at her as she copped an attitude with him. He smirked as he stretched his arms and legs out as he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. He hummed as he thought about her payment to him to replace the window. He was capable of having the window replaced without too much worrying, but he wanted her to pay him in some way for breaking it. He paused his movements before he looked at his guest. She raised an eyebrow at him. Aiden stood from his seat before he moved to lean over her. His hands landed on the bed on both sides of her. His face was closer to her own as well.

“While your wounds heal,” he said. “You can become akin to a personal assistant for me.”

“W-What?” she stuttered. “L-Listen, I don’t t-think …”

“You have to pay for the window somehow,” he said to her as his expression of amusement dropped. “I can’t let you get away with breaking something that doesn’t belong to you.”

She paused in her rambling as she heard him. He was right. She did break his window, and he said it was until her wounds healed. She stared at the bandages. It wouldn’t take long for her wounds to heal. She was a dragon; she would heal fast. The young woman smiled at him as she moved to push on his chest to get him to back away from her. Aiden took a few steps backwards as he saw her smile and felt her pushing on him to back away from her. She held out a hand to him to shake on the agreement. Aiden raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes as she clicked her tongue.

“I, Bridgette Redd, agree to your terms. Until my wounds heal, I will stay here and help you with whatever you need of me. You may also call me Bri. I hate my full name.”

Aiden stared at her before he grinned. He took her hand in his before shaking it.

“I, Aiden Jackson,” he said. “Consider this a payment to replace my window.” He had said his words in the same exact way she had said her own to mess with her.

“Not funny,” she said as she pulled her hand back before crossing her arms.

“Sorry,” he said with a snicker into his hand. “Nobody speaks like that anymore when they come to their terms and agreements for deals.”

“I don’t speak to a lot of people,” she said as she looked away from him in annoyance.

“If you’re running around naked, I sure hope not,” he said with another snicker.

Bri’s face turned a bright red as the blood rushed to her face. She had to have been warm for it to happen at the very least. She rubbed her cheeks with her hands to get rid of the offending color. She was not embarrassed by this man. She refused to be embarrassed around him. He had basically told her he was holding her prisoner. She removed her hands from her face when she felt herself cooling off. She stared at Aiden as he had gone to see if he could get some other things cleaned from her entrance into his tower. She tilted her head at him. He was strange. If a stranger had crashed into her home, she would have kicked them out without hesitation, injured or not injured.

“Why did you help me?” she asked him. “How do you know I won’t do something to you while you sleep?”

Aiden paused in his cleaning as he stared at his new tower mate. He raised an eyebrow at her as he thought through her second question. She had to be kidding with that question he had decided as he placed the basin on the floor beside the bloodstains. He walked over to her before sitting on the bed. Bri flinched as she moved away from him. He had gotten a bit too close for her comfort. Aiden chuckled.

“If you wanted to do something to me,” he said. “You would have done it when you first woke up. Not fallen off the bed.” He held up his fingers. “Second, you fell into my tower and broke my window. Third, you’re covered in bandages and wounds. Let me remind you that your wounds are still bleeding. Especially the one on your neck.”

Bri touched her neck to feel the warm blood beneath the bandages. She grimaced a bit as she realized it wasn’t healing as fast as it should have been healing. She sighed. She supposed she had used a lot of magic to get away from those hunters. Their arrows could have been tipped with a potion to dull her healing abilities as well. There were many possibilities for her wounds to not heal as fast as they normally healed. She placed her hand on the bed as she sighed once again.

“Fourth,” continued Aiden. “If you try anything, you’ll be out that window within three seconds. I’m capable of handling these situations. Perks of being in a tower alone I suppose.”

“Why are you in this tower?” she asked him with a curious glance.

“Ah. I was kidnapped as a young child due to a deal my parents made with a witch. I am forced to live up here while I want for my true love to rescue me.”

Bri gave him a look as she heard him. “No, seriously, why are you in this tower?”

“See right through me, huh?”

“Everybody knows the story of Rapunzel,” she pointed out to him. “Even me.”

“Fair point,” Aiden said as he sighed. “Well, I’m up here for my health and safety at this point. It’s not as if I can’t leave. I have a garden and lake behind the tower.” He pointed behind him to make a point about those two landmarks.

“Health and safety?”

Aiden made a face as he realized she wasn’t going to stop asking him questions. Such an annoying, prying creature. He raised his arms above his head as he yawned. It was a forced yawn, but he needed a reason to get out of the conversation. Despite believing she wasn’t going to do anything to him, he didn’t trust her enough to spill his life story on her when he just met her that evening.

“Oh, sorry,” she said as she saw him yawn. “I can believe you’re tired. You were sleeping when I woke you.”

“I was,” he said. “And, you are healing. Rest will do you good as well.” 

Bri nodded as she watched him find another pillow as well as a few more blankets. He made himself a nest on the ground as he moved to lay on it. She made a noise before shaking her head. The dragon went to say something before Aiden held up his hand to get her to stop. He turned to look at her. He smiled then rolled in the opposite direction. The thunder rumbled over them as the rain had stopped. A stray crack of lightning illuminated the room as Bri moved to lay on the bed. She stared at the ceiling as she thought about the last few days. She had found a spot to hide from the hunters. The person living here didn’t seem terrible. She placed her hands behind her head as she huffed a bit.

“I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad to stay here for a little bit,” she said as she turned to watch Aiden. She waited his side move up then back down with every breath he took. “He fell asleep quick enough.”

The dragon smiled a bit as she moved to lay on her stomach. She watched Aiden sleep before she had drifted off to sleep. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep either. She had been exhausted, in pain and mentally drained the last few days. She hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep since the night her mother disappeared. Her breath evened out as she fell into a deep sleep. The next few days would be okay. She would survive. Her hand fell off the bed as she shuffled in her sleep. Blood seeped out of the bandage before landing on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden and Bri get to know each other more as Bri recovered from being hunted and shot at.

A hazy surrounding appeared as Bri opened her eyes. She yawned as her arms moved to stretch above her head. Her focus was on the ceiling as her mind moved to catch up with the rest of her body. She groaned as she moved to sit up in bed. Her body had become stiff from sleeping. She rubbed her back as she yawned once again. Bri rubbed an eye with one of her hands. She placed a hand on her mouth as she yawned one more time. Her hand moved from her mouth as she spotted Aiden walking into the room. Last night flooded into her head. She had agreed to help him around the tower until her injuries healed. She stared at her arm to see blood on the bandage. She frowned as she realized it wasn’t dried blood.

“I changed your bandages this morning after I woke up,” Aiden said as he saw her staring at her bandages. “They’re not shallow injuries, but they’re not deep enough to warrant the doctor to come the whole way to the tower.”

“Oh. Thanks,” she said as she stared at her bandages before staring at him. “Why are they still bleeding?”

“Because they still cut deep enough into your skin. You have veins everywhere,” he explained to her. “They’ll heal over the next few days. You’re already not bleeding as bad as you were last night.”

Bri chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about her predicament. Her injuries were bleeding. After a few hours of sleep, her injuries had not completely healed. She touched the wound on her neck. The arrow has to have had a potion on it to slow her healing. Her body would work it out of her system. Not a lot could be deadly to a dragon. Their bodies, coupled with their innate magic, managed to purge a lot of potions and poisons. She rubbed her neck before squeaking as her stomach growled.

“Did I just squeak from my stomach growling?!” she exclaimed as she stared at her lap.

Aiden chuckled as he moved into the kitchen that had been attached to his room. It wasn’t a big kitchen, but it would be enough for Bri and him. He felt the stare his new roommate was giving him as he chuckled at her reaction. He reappeared with food on a plate for her. He had prepared it when he had been preparing his own breakfast. He smiled at her as she yanked her plate from his hands. He had placed her in a foul mood with his laughing at her expense. He waved her off as he yawned. Bri stabbed her food with the fork she was given as she watched him clean within the area. She noticed he had gotten her blood cleaned off the granite and stone floor at the very least. He glanced at her before another laugh escaped his throat. He hid it behind a cough in his hand.

“What’d the eggs ever do to you?”

“Huh?” Bri glanced at her plate before she made a noise. Her eggs had been destroyed by her poking them with her fork in agitation. “Oh. Well, they’ll taste the same either way.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow at her before he shook his head. He watched as she ate the eggs, bacon and toast he made her. It had quieted her growling stomach at the very least. Bri cleaned her plate before she placed it on the bed beside her. She hadn’t moved much since sitting up in bed. She rubbed her arms before rubbing her legs. Her body feeling sore concerned her. The feeling of pain should have disappeared long before the injuries would heal.

“Then, again, Bri,” she muttered. “Your injuries are still bleeding.”

Aiden picked up her plate as he watched her mutter to herself. He turned to place the dish in the basin in the kitchen. He stepped back into the room before sitting on the chair that was in front of the bed. Blue eyes stared in green before Bri turned her head to break the eye contact. She agreed to stay until her injuries healed. She didn’t agree to being friendly with him. Being friendly with a human would end in a terrible tragedy. She rubbed her arm as she didn’t know what to say to him. She spent a long part of her life thinking it was best to keep to herself. If she stayed out of the way of others, she would survive.

“So,” said Aiden as he moved to stare at the ceiling. “Are you going to tell me why you smashed through my window?”

“I … got into a fight?” she answered him with her own unsure answer.

Aiden moved to stare at her as he raised an eyebrow. He seemed to do that a lot with her. She was a curious individual. He placed a hand on his chin as he thought about her answer to his question. His tower had a bit of height to it. She smashed through the only window he had in the tower. He had a few more questions at the moment.

“What did you get into a fight with?” he asked her. “A giant?”

Bri snorted as she heard his sarcastic questions. Leave it to her new roommate to try and figure out how she got through the window. She sighed as she rubbed her cheek as she thought about her reply to him. The young woman decided against telling him she was a dragon. He’d call the hunters. Aiden waved her off as he got off the chair.

“If you have to think about it,” he said. “Then, I don’t want to know the story you’re going to give me.”

“It’s not a story!” she said.

“It’s going to be a story, because you’re not going to tell me the truth.”

“You didn’t tell me why you were in the tower -- why should I tell you how I got here?”

“Touche,” he muttered before disappearing into the kitchen. “Come help me clean up a few of the dishes if you’re able.”

Bri stared at the floor before she flexed her fingers and her toes. She should be able to stand and walk around. Her fingers gripped the edge of the bed as she moved to stand. Legs a little wobbly, but she was fine with that aspect. She hadn’t moved much since she crashed through his window. She stared at the hole in the wall. He was never going to let that go. She made a noise as she took a step forward before her knee buckled.

“Seriously,” she said as she caught herself on a ledge.

She saw Aiden peek his head into the room as she gave him a look as he moved to come help her. She didn’t want help. She could do this on her own. Green eyes watched her from the doorway of the kitchen as he leaned against it. Aiden watched her struggle to stand straight before she took a step. She took another step. Then another. After a few minutes, she was at the doorway with Aiden. She took a deep breath as she stared at her shaking hands. She didn’t understand the reason it was hard. She shouldn’t be having issues such as walking. She made a noise as a hand ruffled her hair.

“Little steps,” Aiden said as he smiled at her. “I finished the dishes while you were trying to walk.”

“Sorry,” she muttered to him. “I was coming to help.”

“I know,” he said as a smile formed on his face. “I appreciate it. It was the thought that counts.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” she snapped at him as she moved away from him.

“Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?” he asked her. “Do you want me to be mean to you?” 

“Wha -- no. I just …”

Aiden sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He didn’t understand this woman. He wasn’t a person to hate somebody. He can dislike people. He can be annoyed with people. He couldn’t hate people. His mother had told him to not judge others until he found their reasons for acting in such manners. He lifted his fingers from his nose as he felt eyes staring at him. He raised an eyebrow at Bri as she had been watching him. The woman looked away as her eyes fell onto the doorway. She didn’t want to be caught staring at him. She rubbed her cheek before her eyes darted back to the man that had helped her when she was bleeding out.

“I get it,” she said. “I’m a burden. I left a bloody mess on your floor. I also broke your window.”

“The only good thing is the ghosts have been leaving me alone,” he muttered as he moved to walk into his room.

“Ghosts?” asked Bri as she stared at him. “There are ghosts in the tower.”

She hadn’t sensed ghosts in the tower. They may have been hiding because of her. She turned to walk toward him. She made a noise as her knees gave out. She closed her eyes as she felt the floor coming toward her.

“Whoa!” Aiden said as he moved to catch her.

Bri opened her eyes as she stared at his chest. Her head moved up to stare at him. Blue met green once more as Bri moved to push herself away from Aiden. It caused her to tumble backwards as his arms wrapped around her waist to keep her steady. Aiden chuckled as he pulled her into a straighter position in front of him.

“Light on your feet?” he teased.

“Shut up,” she mumbled as she stared at the floor. “I’m normally not this weak.”

“Never said you were weak,” Aiden said as he poked her forehead to get her to look at him. “You lost blood, Bri. Don’t think you can do things without trouble a few hours after I’ve cleaned your injuries.”

“You don’t understand,” she said as she stared at him. “I don’t have these issues.”

“Then allow me to understand? I’ve dealt with a lot of things in my short life.”

“Nothing like me,” she said as she chuckled. “I can promise you that.”

Dragons were elusive creatures. She had been hiding until her mother decided she wanted to watch the world burn. Afterward, the dragon disappeared. Bri had been on her own as long as she could remember, and she was positive Aiden had never met another dragon. She sighed as she moved his hands from around her waist.

“Thanks, Aiden,” she said as she sat on the bed. “But, I’ll be fine.”

She moved to rub her legs as well as her knees. It worried Bri that she didn’t know what those arrow tips were covered with at the moment they were fired at her. She didn’t feel poisoned. Sparks off magic sparkled off her fingers. She had her magic. The dragon shook her head as she stared at the floor. Her face contorted into one of confusion. She didn’t understand the reason for her wounds to be bleeding nor the reason the pain and muscle weakness was still with her. Bri sighed once more before she felt a blanket being thrown over her head. She moved it up to spy Aiden as he waved at her.

“Take a nap,” he said. “You sound like you need it.” He paused. “And, afterward, I’ll see if the lake is warm enough for you to bathe.”

“What?”

“It’s got some weird healing properties,” he explained. “I figured it’d help relieve some of the pain and weakness of your muscles.”

“Oh,” she said as she dropped the blanket back over her head. “Alright. I’m going to take a nap.”

“Have a good nap,” Aiden replied.

He moved to sit on the chair as he grabbed his book. Aiden opened to the page he had left off on before staring at Bri. She fell asleep fast. He chuckled as he moved to read the book he held in his hand. He would keep an eye on Bri for the time being. It was a bit concerning that injuries such as her injuries were still bleeding. It wasn’t impossible they were still bleeding though. She was moving around quite a bit for somebody who needed to not move. He flipped the page before hearing her moan. He lowered the book as he watched her toss and turn in her sleep. He frowned a bit. After a moment, she had quieted as well as found a position to sleep. He sighed in relief before going back to his book. He would make sure she was healed and healthy before she left his tower.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few days since Bri's settled into living with Aiden in the tower. They've got their routines -- clearly. Also, small reminder that Bri is a dragon.

The smell of french toast woke Aiden from his slumber. He groaned as he moved a hand to rub his neck. He fell asleep on the chair -- again. The young man decided he needed to stop falling asleep on the chair. The smell of the food filled his nose reminding him he needed to open his eyes. Green eyes opened, closed from the light then opened once more as he got used to the sunshine. A groan escaped his lips (again) as he moved to sit straight in the chair. He managed to straighten his back. He rubbed the lower half as he moved his other arm to stretch it above his head. A yawn escaped as his attention turned toward the kitchen.  
  
“French toast,” he said. “Again?”  
  
Aiden heard a huff from the kitchen as Bri’s head appeared within the doorway. She held the spatula within her hand. It had appeared within the doorway as well. He watched a frown appear on Bri’s face before she tossed the spatula at him. The young man made a noise as the spatula managed to hit him center in the face. He rubbed his nose as he caught the spatula on his lap. He gave Bri frown equalling his own before he stood from the chair. He yawned once again as he stretched both arms in the air with the spatula in one of his hands.  
  
“You’ve only shown me how to make French toast for breakfast,” Bri said to him. “So, I’ll make French toast when I’m awake before you.”  
  
“Which is rare in and of itself,” muttered Aiden.  
  
He dodged a spoon she had thrown at him as he walked toward the kitchen. He moved around the corner before he smiled at Bri. She gave him an evil expression before she took the spatula from him as she went to turn the French toast. Aiden had to bite his lip from laughing at her expression. She was near the knives at the moment. He didn’t need one of those thrown at him. He leaned against the doorway as he watched her cook their breakfast.  
  
“How are you feeling?” he asked.  
  
Bri stared at him before she frowned. “I’m feeling fine.” She placed the finished French toast on the plate she had grabbed before placing some more bread into the egg mixture. “My muscles aren’t as sore thanks to the lake.” She scratched the bandage around her neck as she flipped the bread on the pan. “Though, this is still bleeding.”  
  
“It has slowed down,” Aiden said as he watched her scratch at it. “The injury on your neck seemed to be the worst. You were able to stop wearing the bandages for the other ones the other day.”  
  
Bri stared at her arms and side. She had stopped wearing bandages around them. It was a pleasant sign at the very least. She was healing, but she was healing slowly. The dragon snarled a bit at her slow healing. She hated feeling vulnerable. She glanced at Aiden as he had moved to grab two, smaller plates as well as utensils for them to eat once the food was done. She sighed. At the very least, she was stuck with the tower shut in. Very few people visited him. The last visitor was the man that replaced the window glass. She enjoyed the solidarity of the tower. She had to deal with the sort of, but not really grumpy, occupant of the tower -- she could handle Aiden.  
  
“Bri,” he said as he poked her cheek. “Your French toast is burning.”  
  
Bri stared at the black toast as she snapped out of her thoughts. She made a noise as she moved the food from the fire.  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she hissed at him.  
  
“You looked as if you were thinking deeply,” he laughed. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”  
  
She tossed the blackened piece of French toast at him. It hit him in the face. The toast slipped off his face as it hit the floor. He stared at the food before staring at Bri. She gave him a look before turning back toward the pan and fire to make more French toast. He bent over to grab the toast before he turned it over in his hands as he stared at it. The food was in the air as it went toward Bri. She ducked as it flew over her head as it landed in their garbage bin.  
  
“Good shot.”  
  
“I missed.”  
  
“Exactly.”  
  
Aiden sighed as he moved to sit at the chair near the table. He had managed to find a second chair for the table in the kitchen. He watched Bri as she finished cooking. She placed the dirty dishes in the basin before walking toward him with the food. He grabbed a piece of the French toast when it had been settled on the table. After syrup had drenched the toast, he began to eat it.  
  
“How do you like so much sugar?” asked Bri as she wrinkled her nose at the sight of the syrup oozing over his French toast.  
  
“How do you not?” he retorted after swallowing his food. “It’s good. You’re getting better at it.”  
  
Bri stared at him before she gave a smile. She was happy he was enjoying the food she had made for him. Aiden blinked as he saw the genuine smile on her face. He had almost choked on his food. She never gave him genuine smiles. It was a big surprise, and he was enjoying every moment of it. He grinned at her.  
  
“You should smile more often. It looks nice.”  
  
Bri’s smile fell as she heard him. She turned her face as she rubbed her cheek. The dragon didn’t know how to react to his compliment. She never thought her smiles nice. She went to reply to him when the shattering of glass had been heard. Aiden groaned as he heard his new window shatter. He stood from his chair before he stared into his living area. His face paled as he stared at the translucent beings that appeared before him. He pulled himself back into the kitchen as he found a corner to hide. Bri tilted her head as she took a look into the room.  
  
“Oh,” she said. “Ghosts.”  
  
“S-Spirits,” muttered Aiden. “Not ghosts.”  
  
“Difference?”  
  
“ _Bri_ ,” he snarled.  
  
“Fine,” she said as she began to walk into the room. “Give me a few minutes.”  
  
She cracked her knuckles before she rapped on the wall of the room. The beings stared at her, causing the dragon to wince. Their forms were contorted; their faces twisted. Lightning blue magic crackled around her hands as her eyes turned the same shade of blue. She couldn’t become a dragon in the tower, but she had to get rid of them. The spirits lumbered toward her as they had been attracted to her magic. Her pupils turned to slits as she snarled. Fangs appeared in her mouth as she gave them a warning. They paused for a moment before continuing to move toward her.  
  
“ _Mindless creatures_ ,” she hissed in draconic. “ _Do not come any closer_.”  
  
Her spoken draconic had them pause in their movement toward her. The spirits wailed as they realized a dragon had entered their domain. The aura that was attracting and enticing had been surrounded by the aura of an angry, hungry dragon. Bri’s claws slashed through one of them leaving a trail of sparkling blue energy. It wailed in pain before she turned toward the other. Her magic crackled around her. The lights sparked off her in a light show. She pounced on the second spirit. It roared and howled as she dug her claws into it. She had pinned the creature. Her slitted eyes gleamed with excitement. She grasped it’s head before twisting. The spirit screamed in pain as it turned into a glowing ball of inky black. She grabbed it with her hands before the ball began seeping into her hands. Black lines appeared on her body as she siphoned the energy from the spirit. The lines disappeared as the energy merged with her own magic. The blue magic settled as it disappeared.  
  
“ _This is my domain_ ,” she hissed in her language. “ _Come here uninvited and I will devour you_.”  
  
She waited for a few moments to make sure no more appeared before she decided to check on Aiden. When she got back into the kitchen, she saw him curled in his corner. She tilted her head before she smiled at him. She had gotten rid of something he had been afraid of at the moment. She could keep all kinds of ghosts and spirits away. She kneeled in front of him as she placed her hands on his cheeks. She winced a bit as she realized her nails were still sharpened from her dealing of the creatures.  
  
“They’re gone, Aiden,” she said to him. “I scared them away.”  
  


Aiden opened his eyes as he stared at her. His body shook as he relaxed as he didn’t feel them anymore. He nodded before his body relaxed a bit. He hadn’t told Bri about his curse to attract ghosts and spirits. He sighed.   
  
“Sorry. I hadn’t seen one in a while. I let my guard down.”   
  
“Are you plagued with their kind often?” she asked him. “If you are, I can keep them away.”   
  
“You’ll leave eventually,” he muttered.   
  
“Ah, they’ll leave you alone even after I’m gone,” she chirped. “I would be surprised if they came back at all after this.”   
  
She chuckled a bit as she realized she had claimed this area her domain. She hadn’t meant to declare that to the spirits. It would keep them away for a long time though. Nobody ever wanted to be devoured by a dragon especially one with scales as black as her own. She removed her hands as she felt him stop shaking as she gave him one more smile. Aiden stared at her as he shook his head. He would always be plagued with that kind of creature.   
  
“ _ Next time I’ll just tell them you’re mine _ ,” she muttered in her language.   
  
“What was that?” he asked her as he heard her speak.   
  
“What was what?” she asked him with an innocent smile.   
  
“That language!”   
  
“It’s my native language,” she explained. “I’ve known it since I was young. I tend to speak in it when I’m upset.”   
  
Aiden stared at her a bit longer before he decided on his next words. She was speaking a language he never heard, and he heard a lot of languages -- it got boring living in a tower by yourself. He moved to stand before leaning over the small counter to calm his breathing. He normally didn’t get startled by them, but these had startled him. He took a deep breath before staring at the basin. It was full of water. He blinked as Bri’s reflection appeared with his own. She hadn’t gone far worried about his well being. He turned toward her.   
  
“Can I learn?”   
  
“Huh?” she asked him as a look of confusion appeared on her face.   
  
“Can I learn your language?”   
  
“I-It’s …” she trailed off. “It’s tough to learn for somebody who hasn’t heard it since birth.”   
  
“I would like to try,” he told her. “If I can’t get it, I can’t get it. But, it doesn’t hurt to try, right?”   
  
Bri took a breath before she nodded. “Alright. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try and teach you my language.”   
  
Aiden smiled brightly at her before moving to wrap his arms around her in a bit of excitement. Bri made a noise as she moved to remove his arms from around her. She didn’t like the touching. It was fine when she could hardly move, but she could walk now. She sighed as he let her go. She huffed in a bit of relief. Aiden tilted his head before he smiled apologetically at her. She had told him she didn’t like to be touched in surprise. She shook her head as she waved him off. She would forgive her excited roommate. She co uldn’t fault him after he had been shaking in fear from a few spirits. She smiled at him as he grinned even more as she forgave him for his slip up.   
  
Sometimes, she thought he was adorable.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden and Bri enjoying their time together until a dragon appears to give a harrowing warning.

“ _ A, E, O -- W? _ ”   
  
Bri laughed behind her hand a bit as she watched as Aiden tried to figure out the alphabet of her draconic language. It was a spoken and written language. She had surprised him when she mentioned it; therefore, he needed to learn to write and speak it. At the moment, he hadn’t figured out the vowels. It was amusing to watch him stumble over words and letters when he was  _ usually  _ well spoken. Aiden stopped his practice as he stared at her. His expression dropped to one of annoyance as he huffed.   
  
“Why’d you stop?” she asked him, an innocent smile forming on her face.   
  
“You’re having a grand time listening to me mess up, aren’t you?”   
  
“What?” she said with a click of her tongue. “Never. Why would I have a  _ good  _ time listening to you mess up?”   
  
Aiden raised an eyebrow at her. He recognized sarcasm when he heard it, and her words were laced with the very venom of sarcasm. Bri blinked as she noticed his raised eyebrow and done expression before she waved him off with a giggle. The young man sighed as he fell onto his bed as he stared at the ceiling. His vision flooded with Bri as his eyes flickered in her direction. She wasn’t as closed off as when she had first arrived in his tower. Green eyes moved toward the ceiling once again as he let out a sigh. He rubbed at his throat before making a noise. Learning her language had a lot of growls. Hissing was very much a thing as well within her language. It was strange, yet it was thrilling.   
  
“I’m going to learn your language.”   
  
“Hmm?” she hummed as she picked at her nails.   
  
“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me,” he said with a dry chuckle.   
  
Bri paused her nonchalant demeanor as she heard his dry chuckle. The young woman got off the chair before heading into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for him. She walked back into the room with the glass before holding it over his face. Aiden made a noise as the sudden appearance of the glass caused him to jump. He had been lost in his thoughts for the last few minutes. He sat up on the bed before taking the water from her. He sipped at him before smiling at Bri.   
  
“Thanks.”   
  
“My language leaves a lot of throats dry, so I figured your throat might have been a bit dry as well.”   
  
“Your language is definitely interesting,” he mumbled as he stared at the glass of water in his hands.   
  
“I know it scares some others when I speak it,” Bri said with a bit of a laugh. “I’m glad it didn’t scare you.”   
  
Aiden blinked as he heard her. He gave her a curious glance before Bri waved him off with a swipe of her hand. He sighed before placing the glass of water on the stand beside his bed. He watched her as she rubbed at her neck. Bri kept the bandage around her neck despite the fact it had stopped bleeding. He moved to find some more bandages before throwing them at her. Bri caught the bandages before staring at him.   
  
“I’m not sure why you are still wearing the bandages around your neck, but I think those ones need to be washed anyway,” he explained.   
  
“Oh,” she said. “The injury is still sore. I realize it’s not bleeding, but it's tender. Better to keep the bandages on it.”   
  
Aiden watched her to see any hidden expressions before he gave another sigh. No hidden expression. No twitches. She was telling him the truth. He stretched before pausing. He had an idea. The ghost magnet got off the bed before heading into the kitchen. Bri tilted her head as she watched him disappear around the corner. His head popped into the room as he grinned at her.   
  
“How do you like your bacon?”   
  
“Black and crispy.”   
  
“Well, I don’t like complete black, but I can work with that.”   
  
Aiden disappeared into the kitchen once again as Bri chuckled. Her tower mate was an interesting human. He had grown accustomed to her being around the tower despite her accommodation being until her injuries healed. She frowned as she touched her neck once again. It hadn’t healed completely. It was a bit worrisome to her. It didn’t take long for a dragon to heal. She stared at the magic as it bounced between her fingers before fizzling. It was working fine at low quantities, but using higher quantities tired her. She didn’t dare try to transform into her true form at the fear of her magic being depleted from such a complex structure change. Bri snarled, her canines appearing, as she grew frustrated at herself. She couldn’t stay in this tower much longer. She was becoming complacent.   
  
“Why did I agree to teach you my language?” she whispered as she held her head in her hands. “That was stupid on my part.”   
  
“Bacon is done,” Aiden said as he walked in with the food on a plate. “Are you okay?”   
  
Bri stared at him before she moved to rub her neck. The young woman smiled at Aiden as he gave her a look.   
  
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” She continued her smile. “My neck is sore, and holding it down seemed to make it feel better.”   
  
“The outside?”    
  
“Mhm.”   
  
“Maybe you should bathe in the lake again,” he suggested.   
  
“That’s a grand idea,” Bri hummed. “But, first, bacon. It smells delicious.”   
  
Aiden laughed as he handed her the bacon he had placed on a plate. The dragon took a piece before taking a bite of it. It crisped as she broke the piece off the rest of the bacon. She chewed on it before making a noise. She appreciated somebody who could cook a delicious piece of bacon. She grinned at Aiden before eating more of the bacon he had cooked for her. Aiden chuckled as he watched her eat it before he went to grab the rest of the bacon for himself. Bri watched him as she finished the bacon he had given her. She walked over before swiping some of the bacon off his plate.   
  
“Hey!”   
  
She smiled as she bit into the bacon she had stolen. Aiden sighed before he smiled at her. She was complimenting him by stealing some of his bacon. He ate the rest of his bacon at a faster pace to make sure she didn’t steal any more of it before he stretched. His bones cracked as he released the stress built up in them. Bri winced as she heard the cracking louder than he, himself, would have heard them.   
  
“Maybe you should take a dip in the lake,” she suggested. “Sounds as if your muscles and bones are a bit stiff.”   
  
“Mmm, maybe,” he said as he yawned. “But, I prefer if the healing one would bathe first.”   
  
“Why are you so stubborn?” she muttered as she gave him a look.   
  
“Why must you always argue with me?”   
  
Bri and Aiden stared at each other, neither giving in to the other’s demand. It lasted a few moments before Aiden sighed. He looked away from her before moving to stand from the bed. His arms raised above his head once again as he moved to stretch. One hand made its way to the back of his neck as he rubbed it. To be honest, he was a bit tired of arguing with his tower mate. He didn’t have the attention span to deal with her own stubbornness as well as put out his own.   
  
“Fine,” he let out the word through his teeth. “I’ll bathe in the lake first.”   
  
Bri grinned as she realized she had gotten her way. The young woman moved to wave at him. Aiden gave her a look of contempt and annoyance before he moved to grab the items he needed to bathe. Bri continued to smile and wave at him as she moved to stand to clean the tower a bit. At the very least, they split the chores around the place. It made living together easier for the time being. She went to grab the broom and dustpan as Aiden walked past her to head out of the tower. She waved one more time before going to sweep.   
  
“Have a good soak!” she chirped.

\-------------------

Aiden watched the bubbles as he sat within the water. His nose touched the surface of the liquid as he sulked. The young man realized he had given into Bri’s demands and arguing a bit too easily. He huffed as he pulled his head out of the water before diving under to get his hair wet. It did feel nice to relax in the water; he needed to relax his muscles. He was a bit annoyed Bri had been right about that fact for him. He didn’t know when it had become that easy to read him. He sighed as he broke the surface of the water before moving to head near the dock. His hands were starting to prune; it was time to get out.   
  
“Huh?”   
  
He turned as he stared at the center of the lake. His eyes narrowed as he saw the water ripple. The wind wasn’t blowing, and it was a gorgeous day. The water shouldn’t be rippling unless he swam through it. Aiden watched the water before turning to grab the dock to pull himself out of the water. He winced as water dripped onto his head. He glanced at the sky to see there wasn’t a cloud in sight. He turned his head upward a little more before making a noise. A sea serpent stared at him. Black colored eyes stared into his own before the beast roared causing Aiden to tumble off the deck back into the water. His head popped up as he coughed trying to get the water from his lungs. The creature’s tail trashed in the lake as wings flared outward before moving to rest tight against its body.   
  
_ Wait, wings _ , he thought as he watched from behind the deck posts.   
  
The creature stared at him as it swam back and forth in the lake. Aiden hadn’t realized the depth of the lake until that moment. The creature had appeared and hid in it for an unknown amount of time. It hasn't always been in the lake though. Aiden knew the lake used to only carry fish. He jumped as it’s large, powerful tail slammed against the dock causing some of the dock to fall into the water. The beast moved itself farther out of the water before it let out a terrifying roar. Aiden sunk farther into the water as he moved closer to the back of the dock near the edge of the lake. He needed to get out of the water. It wasn’t safe in the water. He swam toward the edge of the dock as his hand moved to grip the wood. It saw him as it’s tail slammed into the dock causing the young man to cry out in pain as the wave caused by the tail pushed him onto land. The dock had been destroyed. Aiden huffed. He was used to ghosts and spirits attacking him.   
  
“Why is a dragon in my lake?” he muttered.   
  
“Aiden!”   
  
Aiden turned toward Bri before he made a noise. No. She shouldn’t be here at the moment. Though, he was sure she heard the creature roar. Bri moved to his side before she glanced at the broken dock as well as the rippling water. Her pupils turned to slits in a bit of anger. She glanced at Aiden before making a noise as she realized he had gotten out of the water. Her face turned pink before she looked away from him. He raised an eyebrow at her before the situation dawned on him as well. His face turned red before he scrambled to find his towel. He appreciated it hadn’t landed in the water. He wrapped it around himself before moving to stare at the water. It seemed calm. He yelped as Bri pulled him away from the lake.   
  
“Go back inside,” she said. “I’ll be right in.”   
  
“No, there’s a …”   
  
“Monster in the water,” she finished his sentence. “I know. I heard it roar. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”   
  
Aiden watched her facial expression before he sighed. He nodded before lifting her chin so she was staring directly at him.    
  
“Be careful,” he told her. “I’m not sure what you want to do, but, whatever it is, be careful.”   
  
Bri smiled at him before she moved to push his hand away from her face. He had seemed to forget she didn’t like him to touch her without at least a form of advanced notice. She pushed on his chest afterward to get him to move back into the tower. Aiden hesitated before he disappeared through the doorway. Bri watched for a moment, to make sure he didn’t reappear, before she turned toward the water. Her canines appeared as her eyes turned to slits once more as she snarled. The dragon reappeared as it towered over the human shaped dragon. Blue scales shimmered and shined within the sunlight as black eyes stared at Bri.   
  
“ _ Why are you human?”,  _ it hissed in the familiar draconic language.   
  
“ _ Why are you here?”,  _ snarled Bri as magic danced off her skin. “ _ Why trespass in my domain?” _   
  
The dragon moved to lower itself as it came face to face with Bri. It’s mouth opened as a strong hiss appeared from its throat as their fangs snapped shut in front of her. Bri did not blink as the dragon threatened her. It moved its head back before the wings unfurled. The dragon hovered over the lake as it stared at Bri.   
  
“ _ The humans are hunting us looking for you.” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Not my problem,”  _ hissed Bri.  _ “Leave now.” _ _   
_ _   
_ The dragon watched her before turning to fly away from the tower. It didn’t reply as its form grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Bri sighed as she rubbed her forehead. The hunters were hunting the other dragons in their restlessness to find her. She glanced at the tower before touching her tender, sore neck. She couldn’t stay much longer. Aiden was in danger, and she didn’t need that to worry about him. She frowned.   
  
“Why am I worried about some human?” she muttered.   
  
“Bri!”   
  
Her head turned as she stared at her tower mate as he reappeared in the doorway, clothed, as he waved at her. She saw the relief on his face that she wasn’t harmed by the creature that was once within the water. A soft smile formed on her face as she walked toward him. He smiled as she stopped in front of him. He looked her over before snorting a bit.    
  
“I suppose your bath is out of the question?”   
  
Bri glanced toward the water as she watched the calm liquid. She gave Aiden an innocent smile, “I think I’ll wait to bathe within the waters of the lake.”   
  
She watched him laugh as she frowned a bit as she hid her expression behind her hand. She had to leave. It hadn’t passed through her mind that she was growing attached to this human until that moment. She had to break her connection with him as soon as possible. He was in danger with the hunters roaming the lands looking for her. Her human form wasn’t even safe thanks to her mother. She made a noise as the smell and sight of bacon appeared in front of her. She removed her hand from her mouth as she stared at Aiden. He smiled at her.   
  
“While you were off doing whatever it was,” he explained. “I thought I’d make more bacon since you seemed to enjoy it.”   
  
Bri stared at the bacon once again before turning her attention to Aiden once more. She stared at him before making a noise as she looked away. Crap. The dragon chewed on her lip before she went to grab a piece of bacon. She stared at it as she noticed it was a lot darker than before when he had made it. She bit off the end, a crisp crunch sound ringing through her ears, as she began to chew on what she had bitten off. Aiden blinked before he moved to pat the top of her head. She jumped a bit before turning to look at him once again with a bit of a surprised, deer caught in headlights look.   
  
“Are you okay?” he asked her.   
  
“I-I’m fine,” she muttered cursing herself for stuttering at the beginning. “I’ve just a lot on my mind that’s all.” She touched the bandage around her neck.   
  
“Still worried about the injury?” he asked her as he moved to unbandage it to take a better look at it. “I could call the doctor to take a look at it.”   
  
“No!” she snapped. “No doctors. It’ll -- It’ll heal on its own.”   
  
Aiden stared at the inflamed, red area of her neck. It seemed to have gotten a bit worse. He frowned. It couldn’t have been infected; she would have fallen ill. He glanced at Bri as she had looked up and elsewhere as he examined her injury. He didn’t notice the blue sparks of magic that jumped off her skin, the injury reopening before the magic closed it off once again. He glanced back down at it before moving to rewrap the bandage around he injury. He sighed before moving to fix her hair behind her ear. She made a noise as her face flushed.   
  
“Don’t touch me so casually,” she hissed as she pushed him away.   
  
“I was just touching your neck.”   
  
“That’s -- that’s different,” she muttered. “You were looking over the wound.”   
  
“Alright,” he sighed. “I won’t touch you so casually. I apologize.”   
  
Bri huffed before she munched on more of the bacon. She felt guilty for snapping at him. He was trying to help her, and she couldn’t even stand his touches. The feeling of electricity travelling through her body as his fingers touched your skin was pleasant but unwelcome to her. She needed to think. She stared at the bandage that began to unravel from around her neck. She needed to heal. The dragon growled as she placed the bacon in her mouth as she went to tighten the bandage around her neck. She needed to leave …

… before something happened to Aiden.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden and Bri's peaceful life living together comes to an abrupt end when the dragon's magic begins to spiral out of control. Is it disappearing? What was going on? An adventure was about to begin, and Aiden might have to leave the comfort of his tower.

Aiden flipped through the pages of the book he was reading. He licked his finger to turn the page as he got to the bottom of it. His green eyes looked from the pages as he watched the young woman staring in the water of the lake as if it was a mirror. The water was clear enough to see your reflection in it. He watched as she examined her bandages, frowning, splashing the water to ripple her appearance then she would repeat. She had done the same actions over and over. He was getting a bit annoyed with her antics. The bandages around her neck were not going to leave while her injury healed. The other injuries healed well enough, but he knew they were still scabbed over at the very least. She didn’t have to get frustrated about having to wear the bandage. His fingers twitched as he watched her repeat the same thing before he slammed the book shut. The sound, despite muffled, startled Bri as she turned toward the young man. She rubbed her cheek as she gave him a look. He smiled at her before he walked over to the water. He looked into the water to see a pale, green eyed, blonde haired man staring back at him. He watched his reflection before his eyes flickered toward his tower mate.   
  
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he watched her stare at her own reflection once again.

“Why is this not healing?” she said as she stared at the red splotches appearing through her bandages around her neck. “It should have stopped bleeding days ago.”   
  
Aiden gave out a breath of air as he realized she had been getting frustrated with her wound. He had let her mope over it for the last few days, because she couldn’t seem to get it out of her mind. He wasn’t sure why it had started bleeding again, but her wound was inflamed. It could happen he theorized. He stared at Bri before staring at the water. He stared at her one more time before shoving her into the lake. Bri broke the surface of the water as she gasped. The water was cold. Her bandages were soaked, and they were starting to come undone. A cold look was shot in Aiden’s direction as he had been laughing at her since she had broken the surface. She pulled herself onto the pier as she shook her head to get rid of the excess water. Aiden made a noise as he placed his hands up to protect him from the flying water.

“What the fuck?” she asked him as she gave him another look. “I didn’t need to bathe,  _ Aiden _ .”   
  
Aiden had begun to laugh once again as he saw her face. She had a look of pure anger and rage as her expression at the moment. She pulled herself the rest the way out of the water before standing. Her clothes were soaked. Her hair had straightened within the water. Aiden quieted his laughter as he realized she had pulled herself out of the water. He took a few steps backwards as she moved forward to grab him. He turned on his heel to run before she grabbed his jacket. He made a noise as she pulled him closer to her. She stuck out her foot for him to trip over as he tumbled into the water. The young man sputtered as he surfaced. He coughed to get the water out of his throat and lungs. He looked like a drowned rat. He swam toward the pier before grabbing Bri by the ankle. She made a noise as he pulled her into the water with him. She coughed as she stared at him.   
  
“Seriously?!” she exclaimed. “I was starting to dry off.”   
  
“You  _ tripped _ me,” Aiden said.   
  
“You pushed me in first!”   
  
“Yeah, to get you to stop thinking about those dumb bandages!”   
  
Bri paused in her next sentence before she closed her mouth. He had pushed her in the water to forget about her wounds. She bit her lip before going to splash him. Aiden sputtered as she splashed him with the water. He shook his head as he wiped the water of his face. He gave her a look of disbelief before he splashed her with the water. He dived under when she was distracted to get away from her. The young man made it to the grass patch on the other side of the lake as he dragged himself from the water. Bri looked around before she narrowed her eyes as she spied him.   
  
“I don’t think so,” she muttered as she swam over to him.   
  
Aiden watched her swim in sway as he waved at her with an innocent smile on his face. Over the last few days, he had gotten to know this mysterious young woman that crashed through his  _ only  _ window. It had been fixed within a day's time; however, she continued to stick around per their agreement. In those past few days, he had discovered many of her quirks like she had discovered a few of his own. He pulled his knees to his chest as he rested his head on them as he watched her continue to swim his way. He sighed as he moved to fall onto his back. He stared at the clouds as they passed. White, puffy and quiet -- not like they were a few nights ago when Bri crashed into his life.   
  
“Aiden!”    
  
Aiden yelped as Bri appeared before him as she moved to sit on him. He stared at her before putting his hand in her face to try to push her away. Bri grabbed his wrist before moving his hand from her face. She adjusted herself on his stomach before giving him a look. She dropped his hand causing him to smack his own face in the process. He made a noise of pain as it fell on top of his nose. He rubbed his nose as he gave her his own look. She grinned at him as she saw the look that appeared on his face. With grace, she began to shake her head freeing her hair from the water. Aiden made a noise as he held his hands across his face to keep the water from his eyes. He laughed as he tried to protect himself from the spraying liquid.   
  
“I give. I give,” he said. “Sorry for pushing you in the water.”   
  
“Thank you,” she said as she stopped. “I appreciate the gesture, but I didn’t appreciate being  _ shoved  _ into the lake without  _ warning _ .”

“You need to stop worrying about your injuries,” he said as he poked Bri’s nose. “They will heal in time. You need to let it go that they’re still bleeding. If anything, at least they aren’t bleeding harder after all the activity.”   
  
Bri watched as his eyes travelled to her neck as her hand moved to cover that injury from him. Any attention on her neck made her anxious. It had been sore since those hunters shot an arrow through her scales. Her neck had always been a weak point to begin with being one of the softer points on a dragon. Aiden poked her cheek to snap her out of her thoughts. Bri made a noise as she moved to stare at him. He poked her cheek once more.   
  
“Get off,” he said. “You’re heavy.”   
  
“Rude,” she said as she rolled off of him. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to call a girl heavy.”

“Oh, you’re a girl?”   
  
He felt her foot move to kick him from the side. He snickered as he turned to stare at the sky once again. A cloud shaped like a rabbit appeared across his path. He nudged Bri before pointing toward the cloud.   
  
“It’s a rabbit.”   
  
“It looks like a ghost to me.”   
  
Aiden shivered as she mentioned ghosts. He hadn’t seen one in days, and he was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He tilted his head as he stared at the rabbit. He didn’t see a ghost. He glanced at his roommate.   
  
“I see a rabbit.”   
  
“Must be the different spots we’re in. I bet the cloud looks different at my angle then it does your angle.”   
  
“Fair enough.”   
  
They continued to watch the clouds as the sun dried off their clothing. A few of the clouds they agreed on when cloud watching. Some of them were different shapes to the both of them. It had been a relaxing day for the both of them. Aiden sighed as he looked at Bri out of the corner of his eye. She had grown on him. Over the last few days, she had grown on him. It was a strange feeling, weird feeling. Their interactions meant something as they went about their days. He smiled softly as he continued to watch her as she pointed out the different clouds she saw to him. He blinked as he stared at the sky once more.   
  
“You haven’t been paying attention, have you?” she scoffed at him.   
  
“What? No. I was paying attention,” he said.   
  
“Clearly,” she growled as she moved to stand. “Well, I’m going to get supper ready. My turn to cook.”   
  
Bri got off the ground as she moved to stretch her arms over her head before she made a noise. Blue lightning began to crackle around her before it burst. A show of lights appeared to encircle her before they disappeared. She gasped as she felt her throat closing on her. She stared at her hands as the magic wouldn’t work. She scratched at her throat as that wound began to ooze blood and a clear film. Aiden was off the ground as he moved to push her head up to see the injury. He watched the blood ooze from it. He ripped his shirt as he removed the bandages to place a clean piece of cloth on it. Tears invaded Bri’s vision as the pain grew worse. He tried his best to get the bleeding to stop. He looked at Bri before making a noise. She moved her hands to grasp his own that were at her neck. She gave him a pleading look as she gasped for air.   
  
“Stay calm, Bri,” he said as panic grew in his voice. “We’ll get it to stop.”   
  
He didn’t question the light show. Plenty of individuals held magic within themselves. He had been concerned her magic seemed to have fizzled out. His hands pressed against her neck as he tried to get the bleeding to stop. Tears strained her cheeks as Bri watched him trying to stop the bleeding. She was willing herself to stop, but her body was giving out on her. She didn’t know what was happening. Her vision started to blur as she tried to remain conscious. She whimpered as her hands moved to remove Aiden’s hands from her neck. She wrapped her fingers around his bloody ones as he stared at him in fear and pain.

“A-Aiden,” she muttered before she slumped against him.   
  
“Bri!” he yelled as he caught her. “Bri.” He shook her to see if he could get her to wake. “Come on, Bri.”   
  
Her blood seeped through his shirt as he held her in his arms. She wasn’t waking for him. He was beginning to panic. She hadn’t seemed as if her health had been declining. In fact, he had seen an improvement with her the last couple of days. His comfort was her shallow breaths he felt as her chest moved up and down. He moved to pick her up, careful of jostling her head, as he moved toward the tower. He frowned a bit as tears stung the corners of his eyes. He was going to need to call the doctor. He needed somebody to get the bleeding to stop. He glanced at Bri as he continued his trek to the tower. Her neck was still bleeding. He would have to wrap it to get the bleeding to slow.   
  
“It’s okay, Bri,” he said. “I’ll make sure we’ll figure out what is going on. Promise.”

Aiden made his way to the tower as he lay Bri on the bed. The young man looked around the room before he spied the cleaner bandages. He unwrapped the bandages around her neck as he winced. Blue sparks were jumping off her skin as her magic tried to heal her. It seemed to be making the bleeding worse. He grimaced before moving to wrap new bandages around her neck. He tied them a bit tighter to calm the bleeding; however, he didn’t want to suffocate Bri. He could only put so much pressure on her neck before it became too much pressure. He took a shaky breath before staring at the window. A small, yellow orb floated by it before he sprang into action. Aiden threw the window open as he stared at the orb.   
  
“Hey!”   
  
The ball of light stopped before turning toward him. It chirped and chittered as it moved to nuzzle his cheek. The sprites had always seemed to like him. It chirped before dancing in front of him. Aiden had always wondered if the sprites were more than balls of light. He shook his head. Now was not the time for these thoughts.

_ What is it that you need? _

“I need you to find the doctor, little sprite. Bring him to the tower. I have a friend who needs his help.”

The sprite nodded as it moved to fly off into the woods. He watched the glow of the sprite grow dimmer and dimmer before he shut the window. Green eyes stared at Bri as he made a noise. Aiden moved to the kitchenette within the tower as he went to grab a basin to fill with water. He had to keep Bri stable and blood stain free while he waited for the doctor. He glanced at his reflection in the water before splashing the reflection away. Everything seemed to happen all at once. They were having fun, and in a few seconds, everything changed. He rubbed his eyes before he moved to find a clean cloth to clean off Bri.   
  
Bri groaned as she shuffled in her near state of sleep. Her fingers clenched together as claws formed. Scales of black appeared on her neck and face before they receded. Her body was fighting whatever had invaded her blood stream; however, it was losing the fight. Her eyes flickered open as they turned a light blue as a lightning zipped around her. She choked on her own scream before the magic disappeared. It was faltering and fading.   
  
A dragon without magic -- was defenseless.


End file.
